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Every Day--A Day with Sunshine
Words from a Hymn: "There is sunshine my soul today." Ponder this: sunshine in your soul, deep into the very core of your being. I definitely want this sunshine for my very own. No rainy-day weather forecast could ever take this away from me. I think all would agree that we would like sunshine in our lives everyday, and you most assuredly can have it if you know where to look for it. I believe God's desire is that we, as Christians, be happy people. Scripture certainly embraces this statement. God wants the very best for us. We are His children, and he loves us with a love reaching far above anything we could imagine. As parents, do we not want happiness for our children? And human love doesn't even come close in comparison to God's love. After all, He sacrificed His only Son, paying the penalty for our sins. If God loves us that much, how could He not want us to be happy. As children of God, happiness is ours for the asking. Seems there is always a however, and here it is: If we continue in sin, God will punish--we will pay the consequences (no happiness here). Also, there is a condition for receiving God's happiness; we need to be in the center of God's will. Is this easy? No, it isn't. Once you think you are there, look out! Don't ever think you can reach a point in your life where you d on't have to work at this. You do; it's always one day at a time. Recently I was thinking about how much I love sweets (do I ever!). But it seems the more I eat, the more I want. I believe a similar desire can occur when we are living in God's will. The closer we are with God, reaping all the wonderful blessings He gives us the more we want. And also like sweets, we become addicted. But what an addiction! Think about it, this one is not going to cause tooth decay, overweight, or diabetes, just to mention a few. To the contrary, this addiction brings us peace and joy, goodness on the inside, and a relationship with God, unmatched by anything we could possibly imagine. This happiness: the real thing! God's Word gives many promises about His love for us. Does not everyone desire God's blessings? Psalm 119:2 tells us, "Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart." It is not an easy task to keep God's law every hour of every day. Let us look neither to the left or the right, but keep our eyes fixed straight ahead on Jesus. A favorite Hymn of mine says "Moment by Moment." Many times we deal with discouragement, a totally human characteristic. This world certainly provides the elements that so easily entrap us. Our gracious and loving God gives us the way out. Romans 15:4 says, "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." Peace, wonderful peace. Everyone wants peace, would you not agree? The first step is keeping in touch with Jesus in our prayers and in our everyday living. God promises peace, and his word says in Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." You may be thinking, what about all the bad times: trials, sickness, disappointments, sorrow. Yes, even through the bad times, God is faithful, and He promises to walk with us through it all. So with His leading, we can still have happiness in our hearts and days filled with sunshine. It is so easy to be happy and rejoice when times are good. But when adversity comes along, we quickly forget about all the good things God has done for us. God knows what we need and when we need it, so try to remember that He always knows best. The Bible tells us in Psalm 19:8, " The precepts of the LORD are right; giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." We have no need to fear the happenings of this world. God is our stronghold. He is with us always. Deuteronomy 31:8 tells us, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Be strengthened by God's word. He knows our every heartaches and sees each tear. He promises to walk with us step by step. He tells us in Psalm 68:19, "Praise be to the LORD, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. That's daily, every single day, forever. Yes, happiness can be an everyday experience, through both the good and bad times. Happiness does not depend upon our circumstances, but on how we deal with the circumstances. Happiness can make every Day--a day with sunshine.
Follow the SUNSHINE SCRIPTURES below, guaranteed to help you through each day.
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eek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well. ~Matthew 6:33~
understand
what is right and just and fair--every good path. ~
umber
our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12~
ncline
ncourage
one another and build each other up. ~
